Golf: Desormeaux claims city golf crown – UL senior controls bunker visits

Dan McDonald, The Advertiser, Oct. 10, 2016

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If Ryan Desormeaux wasn’t on the golf course, his next-favorite location is the beach.

That’s not why he found four bunkers Sunday in the final round of the Lafayette City Golf Championships, but it may explain his success while there.

The Lafayette native and senior on UL’s Ragin’ Cajun squad hit to within three feet of the pin on all four sand shots, getting three of his four birdies on the day from the bunkers. That success, and a streak of three straight birdies at the turn, helped Desormeaux coast down the stretch and take a three-stroke win in the championship flight.

“I’m really comfortable out of the bunkers,” said Desormeaux, who finished at even-par 72 in Sunday’s final round at The Wetlands after posting a one-under 71 in Saturday’s opening round at Hebert Municipal. “But between nine and 11, that was the key stretch for me. That let me play it a little more safe.”

Desormeaux birdied the par-five ninth and 11^th holes out of the sand, sandwiched around a wedge to three feet for a birdie at the par-four 10^th. That stretch gave him as much as a five-stroke lead down the stretch on a day when breezy conditions elevated scores.

No players bested par and only four players broke 75 in Sunday’s final round, one of those scores coming from women’s champion Lauren Aillet with a 73 that gave her a come-from-behind three-stroke win.

The other champions were John Broussard, who claimed his fourth straight senior division crown with a final-round 76, and Joseph Brown with a two-stroke win in the men’s open (first flight) division.

Aillet had struggled to an 83 in Saturday’s opening round at Hebert and trailed Amanda Rothrock by three shots entering the final round. But the 2013 champion hit a wedge to 10 feet on the par-five sixth and holed that putt to take the lead, and then matched it with two more 10-foot birdie putts on the 11^th and the par-three 13^th.

“Those two got me pumped up,” said Aillet, who finished at 156. “I putted a lot better than yesterday, that’s what saved my game. The greens at Hebert are good but they’re faster here, and that’s an advantage for me.”

Dawn Romero-Watson, who shared runner-up honors with 2014 champion Rothrock at 159, got within a stroke with a birdie at the par-three 16^th. But Romero-Watson followed with a triple bogey on the par-four 17^th and Aillet was able to get up-and-down for bogey after hitting her tee shot in the water.

Broussard had shot even-par 72 Saturday at Hebert and led the seniors by four shots, but started out three-over after three holes Sunday with a bogey at the first and a double-bogey at the third.

“And I made a heck of a par on number two,” Broussard said. “Once Erik (runner-up Erik Christianson) caught up, I knew I had to keep my game together on the back.

Broussard birdied the 10^th hole when he hit a sand wedge within 10 feet and finished one-over on the back side, and led by at least two shots the entire final nine holes on the way to a 72-76—148 score.

Desormeaux hit to within two feet out of a fairway bunker on the par-four second hole to jump-start a front-side 35, helping him catch first-day leader Dustin Harris before the turn. Harris had posted a stellar three-under 69 Saturday at Hebert, but bogeyed the second, fourth and seventh holes.

“Couldn’t make any putts,” said Harris, who finished as championship flight runner-up at 69-77—146. Bill Land had the day’s second-low round with a one-over 73 and finished third at 147, while David T. Duhon was one more stroke back in fourth at 148 and Billy Guilbeaux was fifth at 149. Five-time city champion Todd Weber tied for sixth at 150.

“This course is longer and demands a lot more golf shots,” Desormeaux said Sunday. “The wind really protects this course. Fourteen through 18 are all into the wind coming in, and they demand good golf.”

Conversely, 10 and 11 were downwind, helping Desormeaux post the two birdies that broke open a close race. Miller had birdied the par-three eighth to stay within a stroke before Desormeaux’ birdie streak.

Desormeaux had a brief hiccup with a double-bogey on the par-four 12^th when he found the water on the left, and misread a three-foot par putt on the 17^th. But by that time, he had enough margin to coast in and played for a safe bogey on the 18^th, claiming the top prize and a fully-paid spot in the Monday qualifying for next March’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open.

“I wanted to start out good,” Desormeaux said. “I’ve been playing good, but I couldn’t group two nines together to get a good score. Today I got off to another good start.”